Chapter 114: Ambush on All Sides

“What about us?” Xu Lin asked.

Xu Ziyan glanced at Xu Lin and the five others, then said, “As guards for the merchant association, your cultivation levels should be higher. Senior Brothers Xu Qi, Xu Tianlang, Xu Peng, Xu Liangwei, and Xu Tianhai, you five should adjust to the Twelfth Level of Houtian. As for whether it’s the early, middle, or late stage, you can decide for yourselves. As for Senior Brother Xu Lin, adjust to the First Level of Qi Refining Stage. Even a small merchant association should have at least one guard at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage!”

Everyone nodded. They all activated their Breath-Concealing Talismans and adjusted their cultivation levels to what was just decided. Afterward, they looked at each other. Sure enough, they could no longer see each other’s true cultivation levels. If they didn’t know each other’s real strength, they would have thought the senior brothers and sisters standing before them had exactly these cultivation levels! They looked at one another and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Once everyone was ready, they all stepped out of the woods. Xu Ziyan, Xu Mei, Xu Lan, and Xu Meiruo climbed into the carriage. Xu Peng, Xu Liangwei, and Xu Tianhai sat on the driver’s seats of the three carriages, picked up the whips, and acted as coachmen. Meanwhile, Xu Qi, Xu Lin, and Xu Tianlang mounted three horses they had bought from the small town and served as guards. The group left the small woods and began their disguised escape journey. But by disguising themselves this way, while they avoided the sight of many people, they also disappeared from the view of the Xu Clan, which was searching for them. The ten youths began their first long journey, setting off on an unknown adventure.

“Sister Ziyan, where are we going?” Xu Mei asked softly inside the carriage.

Xu Ziyan chuckled and said, “Senior Sister Xu Mei, don’t call me sister. I might not be older than you, right?”

“Oh, then how old are you?”

Xu Ziyan lifted the curtain and looked at the snow outside, whispering, “After this new year, I’ll be sixteen.”

“Hehe…” Xu Meiruo giggled beside her and said, “It looks like you’re the youngest among the ten of us.”

“No matter what!” Xu Mei said in a sweet voice, “Ziyan, you’re the strongest, so we’ll call you sister.”

“Yes! I also feel that with Sister Ziyan here, I have a backbone,” Xu Lan added softly from the side.

“Then we’ll call you Sister Ziyan. Whether it’s strength or leadership ability, we all respect you,” Xu Meiruo also said seriously.

Xu Ziyan gave a helpless bitter smile, let go of the curtain, and said, “Aren’t you afraid of making me feel old?”

“Hehe… of course not! Sister Ziyan is so beautiful, even after a hundred years, you wouldn’t be old,” Xu Mei said with a sweet laugh.

Just then, they heard a few light taps on the carriage window. The girls stopped their playful laughing. Xu Ziyan opened the window and saw Xu Lin riding a horse right next to the window. When he saw Xu Ziyan open the window, he asked softly:

“Little Sister Ziyan, which direction should we go?”

“Let’s head away from Zhongdu City first. We can discuss it later,” Xu Ziyan replied. She didn’t know much about this continent, so she could only decide to put more distance from Zhongdu City for now.

※※※

Zhongdu City.

Xu Clan, Council Hall.

The high-ranking members of the Xu Clan had all gathered here. Xu Haoran sat there numbly, the initial joy of learning that the Taixuan Sect was reopening its mountain gate was gone from his face. Everyone in the hall looked grim, with their heads slightly bowed. Xu Haoliang’s heart was tied in knots at that moment. His only son, Xu Tianlang, was now missing. As the second most powerful expert in the Xu Clan after Clan Leader Xu Haoran, he knew that these ten disciples of the Xu Clan could be considered absolute elites within the clan, but that was only among the younger generation and only within the Xu Clan. In the entire Northern Region, they were nothing special. Moreover, there were many others from older generations who had cultivated longer—young adults, middle-aged experts, and even some old monsters!

Yet, the idea to have the clan’s young elites escape had originally been his, Xu Haoliang’s, own suggestion. He never expected things to turn out this way. He sighed heavily in his heart, his brow deeply furrowed, and looked up at Xu Haoran seated at the head of the hall, asking softly:

“Big Brother, is there still no news of them?”

“Alas~~” The numb-looking Xu Haoran finally showed a trace of expression on his face. He let out a long sigh and said, “It’s been five days, and there’s still no news of the children.”

“Could something have happened to them? For example…” Xu Haocang said hesitantly.

“It’s hard to say!”

Xu Haoran’s expression grew even more pained. These ten were the elite of the Xu Clan’s younger generation, the future of the Xu Clan. If all ten of them ran into trouble, the Xu Clan would face a terrifying gap in strength. Once their generation passed away, the Xu Clan would inevitably be swallowed by other forces. History had many examples of once-great clans that perished because an entire generation met with misfortune, creating a gap in strength that led to their downfall. Thus, Xu Haoran was very reluctant to face such a possibility. He continued:

“It’s also possible they shook off their pursuers and went into hiding.”

Everyone fell silent. A hint of self-mockery also flashed across Xu Haoran’s face; in his heart, he didn’t believe his son Xu Qi could have covered his tracks so thoroughly.

“We found traces of three fights between Zhongdu City and Bowang City. After that, there’s been no trace at all!” Xu Haoliang said in a low voice.

Within five days, the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, the Wu Family, and many small and medium clans in the Northern Region had all received news that the Xu Clan’s elite younger disciples had left Zhongdu City and appeared near Bowang City. Combined with recent events, through analysis, they all vaguely guessed that the four great families of the Northern Region were likely heading for a clash. Canglang City, Nanlin City, and Juque City had already announced an alliance. This was the first time such a thing had happened since the four great families emerged in the Northern Region. The Xu Clan would have to face three major forces alone, and their disadvantage was obvious. Thus, secretly evacuating and hiding the elite younger generation to preserve the clan’s future was only natural.

After this analysis, every power simultaneously thought of one thing: these young elites must know the location of the Xu Clan’s secret treasure stash. The Xu Clan couldn’t possibly fail to leave those elite disciples resources to stage a comeback. Once they realized this, every clan grew excited. Aside from the clan leaders who had to remain to oversee their clans, they each dispatched half of their forces, rushing to Bowang City and conducting a carpet search centered around it.

The Xu Clan also recognized the crisis. Led personally by Xu Haoliang, they gathered half the clan’s strength and hurried to Bowang City through the night.

Meanwhile, in an inn, Xu Ziyan and the others sat in a room, their faces grim. Although these ten Xu Clan disciples were young, each one had stood out among the many disciples of the Xu Clan; every one of them was strong-willed and unflinching in the face of challenges. But now, their expressions had changed.

Earlier, while eating in the inn’s main hall, they saw many cultivators filling the room. They were all talking about these ten, and wild speculations about them flew everywhere. But the unified belief was that they carried information on the location of the clan’s treasure stash. This made them realize they were now deep in grave danger. At the same time, they also hoped to hear from those people’s conversations about what was currently happening with the Taixuan Sect and their own clan. But those people were only interested in the whereabouts of these ten; their words didn’t mention the Taixuan Sect or their clan at all.

Xu Ziyan and the others didn’t dare stay there too long, nor dare ask anyone. They could only leave the hall quietly with anxious hearts and return to their own room.

“It seems the only reason we can still sit here safely is thanks to Little Sister Ziyan’s plan,” Xu Lin said quietly, his gaze full of admiration as he looked at Xu Ziyan.

“Yes, if not for Little Sister Ziyan’s plan and the Breath-Concealing Talismans, I really don’t know what situation we’d be in now!” Xu Qi also said with emotion. He now felt truly convinced about yielding the position of Team Leader to Xu Ziyan.

Everyone expressed their admiration for a few moments, then all looked at Xu Ziyan. Xu Ziyan herself was also very nervous inside, even a bit fearful. But she knew that at this moment, she must not show the slightest sign of panic. If she panicked, these people who had just begun to trust her would surely fall apart instantly. Then, surrounded by various forces, they would have only one path: destruction.

Xu Ziyan calmed her emotions, her clear eyes sweeping over everyone, and asked calmly:

“Are you scared?”

They looked at each other and couldn’t help but nod, even the usually proud Xu Tianlang nodded heavily.

“When we fled the clan and left Zhongdu City, we should have anticipated our current situation! We had already mentally prepared ourselves when we left the clan, didn’t we?” Xu Ziyan’s voice was full of calmness.

The other nine glanced at each other, then simultaneously lowered their heads.

“For us, this is both danger and opportunity!” Xu Ziyan’s gaze swept over them seriously, and she said with firm tone:

“Before, we were just children living under the protection of our elders. Whatever dangers arose, the elders solved them for us. Now we have to face everything alone. If we can break through these dangers from all sides, then we will truly become the backbone of the Xu Clan!”

Having said that, Xu Ziyan suddenly chuckled, “Hehe, the worst that can happen is death. Do we have any way to turn back now?”

As the saying goes, place them in a death trap and they will fight to live. After hearing Xu Ziyan’s words, everyone’s hearts gradually calmed down.

“So what should we do?” Xu Qi asked.